The Trade
by lovefromitaly
Summary: Nothing in the world mattered more to Elle Gold than her father. So when naive Elle accidentally opens a portal to Neverland, naturally Rumpelstlitskin will stop at nothing to save his daughter. But, Elle would gladly give up anything at all to ensure her Papa's safety. When Peter Pan traps her in a corner, what will she give up to save her father?
1. Chapter 1

I OWN NOTHING BUT ELLE GOLD!

Frantic was the only word that could be used to describe Elle Gold as she tore through her father's shop on Sunday morning. She had spent all morning searching through all of the trinkets and bobbles that decorated her father's store, but couldn't find what she was looking for. With her eighteenth birthday approaching, she knew her father had something special that he planned to give her. With only twenty more minutes until her father was due to arrive and open the shop for the day, she grew more and more panicked that she wouldn't find what she was looking for. It was then that she became truly desperate and decided to venture into the back of the store-the only place her father ordered her never to enter. She could never understand why he was so secretive of what was in the back room. She and her father were so close, and Elle adored him. She hated that she kept things from her, but he always warned her that it was, "for her own good", or "to keep her safe".

"Safe from what?" She wondered.

Elle knew her father was not the most well liked man in Storybrooke, but she couldn't imagine anyone trying to hurt him or her, or Belle. She knew her beloved papa had a tendency to be a little overprotective. Well…perhaps a little more than overprotective. But Elle knew his heart was always in the right place. If she knew one thing, she knew her father was a good man who loved her more than anything. Elle owed everything good in her life to the man that so many feared and despised.

You see, Elle didn't know who her biological parents were. When Regina cast the curse and Storybrooke was created, Elle was found in the woods, bundled in a small, pink blanket. It was Mr. Gold who found her and decided to take the helpless baby girl and raise her as his daughter. There was nothing Elle wanted, or needed that she didn't have. No expense was spared when it came to Rumplestilskin's tiny princess. Even as an infant, she was beautiful. She had a full head of soft, dark hair, and big brown eyes surrounded by thick, long black eyelashes. He couldn't say no to her, he was wrapped around her tiny fingers since he laid his eyes on her.

As Elle blossomed into a young woman, Mr. Gold grew more and more protective of his "princess as pure as gold". But, he couldn't help but to be proud of the way she had grown up. Elle was selfless, always thinking of others before herself. She valued kindness and generosity over wit and vanity. She was also impossibly modest. In short, it was impossible not to love her. Many people in Storybrooke said that Elle was Mr. Gold's only redeeming quality. Many wondered how a man who once was so dark, could raise someone who was nothing short of wonderful.

Elle knew of her father's checkered past. He had tried to shield her from it as a child, but Storybrooke was a small town. So as she grew, she heard bits and pieces, and eventually put the pieces together for herself. But to Elle, it didn't matter. She knew the man her papa truly was: kind, loving, and gentle. And that was all that mattered to her. And when Belle came into the picture, Elle couldn't be happier that Papa was with someone he loved, and that loved him in return. Together, the three of them became a cozy, happy family.

But today, Elle needed to know what her dear Papa was hiding from her. So silently, she crept into the back room of the store. As she tiptoed around, she stumbled across an object that caught her eye. There, on the windowsill, was a long gold necklace, with a star-shaped diamond pendant. It was the most beautiful thing Elle had ever seen. It glistened in the sunlight shining through the curtains of the dusty old window.

"That must be it!" she thought. She couldn't believe her Papa and Belle had gotten her something so beautiful. Now that she had found what she was looking for, and only felt _slightly_ guilty for snooping, Elle made her way to the front of the store. But before Elle could reach the threshold to leave the back room, an old book caught her eye. The cover and binding of the book was a dark mossy green and the pages looked like they were made of pure gold. The front of the book read ,"The Little White Bird" by J.M. Barrie.

"Isn't that the story of Peter Pan?" Elle wondered. Elle knew that Storybrooke was made up of characters from fairytales from the Enchanted Forest. But Elle didn't recall Peter Pan being someone in Storybrooke.

"I guess they missed this one." Elle said aloud.

As she opened the book she discovered that the pages had been hollowed out, and in the center of the book was a bundle of cloth. Elle couldn't help but wonder what was in the cloth so she put down the book, and began to unravel the soft bundle of fabric. When the cloth was unfolded, all that Elle saw was a bean.

What happened next happened too quickly for Elle to comprehend. As her fingers wrapped around the bean, she heard the chime of her father entering the store, and all of a sudden there was a burst of light that knocked Elle off of her feet. She screamed, and fell onto her back, and all of a sudden she felt something dragging her into the blinding light.

"Papa!" she screamed.

She heard her father's footsteps, and the last thing she saw was his horrified face as he screamed, "Elle! No!"

All that came after that was deafening silence and utter blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

The next thing Elle felt was a sharp pain her head, and a ringing in her ear. Slowly, she opened her eyes, sat up, and drew in a sharp breath.

"Why am I on a beach?" she wondered. All she could see was endless crystal clear water, white sand, and then nothing but jungle for what looked like miles. This place was beautiful, but still Elle couldn't understand why she was here. Then, like a bolt of lightning, she remembered it all-the book, the bean, the blinding white light, and the horrified expression on Papa's face.

Slowly, in the pit of her stomach, she felt fear creeping in on her, taking over her whole body, and paralyzing her. As she surveyed her surroundings, she racked her brain for what land she could be in. She remembered stories that Belle and Papa told of the Enchanted Forest, and the place she was in did not fit their description. Before Elle could ponder over her whereabouts any longer, she saw a burst of bright light about a mile off of where she sat. She realized it was identical to the same burst of light that brought her here. That's when she realized that "light" was a portal. Which meant that someone from Storybrooke could be coming from that portal. She looked up and saw what looked like a man standing on the shore. She stood and walked cautiously towards the figure. As she approached, the figure became clearer until she realized…

"Papa!" she shouted. She picked up the hem of her pink skirt, and began to run at her father. She ran faster than she ever thought she could, and didn't stop until she was safe in her father's arms.

"Elle, " he breathed. Then he pulled away and said, "Elle what were you thinking? I forbid you from ever going into the back of the shop, and you deliberately disobeyed me!"

Elle had never seen her father that angry. And the few times he had been angry, it was never directed at her. Slowly, her eyes began to well up with tears and her lower lip began to tremble.

"Papa…" she began. "I'm sorry! I…I didn't know! I was just curious, I…I didn't know, I didn't mean for this to happen! I'm so sorry! Please don't be angry with me." Elle sobbed.

Slowly, Rumplestilskin's rage melted away, and he began to wipe away his daughter's tears as he said, "My darling, you know everything I've ever told you is to keep you safe. But now…we're in a place that is incredibly dangerous, and difficult for me to keep you safe."

Slowly, Elle looked up and said, "Papa…. where are we?"

"Neverland, dearie."

"You mean Neverland, like the Peter Pan story?" Elle asked.

"Elle, you must understand this quickly, Neverland is not the same place here as it is described in the books back in our world. And neither is Peter Pan." As he said this, Elle could see her Papa's eyes darting around the tree line like he was searching for something.

"But Papa, isn't Peter Pan just a boy?" Elle questioned frantically.

"He may look like a boy my dear, but remember this-he is a bloody demon."

Not even as the words left her Papa's mouth, they heard a young male voice in the distance call out, "Not spreading lies about me are you, laddie?"

Elle's eyes darted where the voice was coming from and her eyes found a boy who looked like he was her age, maybe a year older. He was dressed in different shades of green and brown, and his ensemble looked like it was sowed by a ten year old. At his waist was a belt with a sharp daggered attached to it, and his feet were clad in brown leather boots. Her eyes traveled up to his face, he had pale, porcelain like skin that looked like it was covered in dirt, and messy sandy brown hair. But what was most striking about him were his eyes. They looked at her with such intensity that she had never experienced before, and they were just so _green. _She had never seen anything like it.

"He's very handsome," thought Elle. But there was something about him that seemed so utterly dark that Elle had a twisted feeling in her stomach anytime she dared to look at him. Truthfully, Elle was frightened of him. But, she had Papa here to keep her safe. Nothing bad ever happened when Papa was around.

Papa grabbing her arm and pulling her behind him snapped Elle out of her thoughts.

"Pan," Papa shouted. "Leave her alone, and let her go home. I'll do whatever you ask, just give her permission to leave the island."

"Papa, what do you mean?" Elle asked.

Elle hardly blinked and all of a sudden, the boy appeared next to her. She gasped, startled, and clung closer to her father.

Seeing this, an awful smirk graced the boy's handsome features, and he said, "You see, love. I control all things on this island. And no one can enter, or leave without my permission. But, I'm afraid I don't quite want to let you go. I think there is a great game to be played here."

Elle's heart began to speed up, and she saw what she could only describe as an army of boys coming through the trees.

"Great, he's got an army," she thought bitterly.

As if he heard her thoughts, he said, "Oh! Have you met my boys?"

Without missing a beat, she and her Papa were slowly surrounded by a large group of dirty, intimidating boys. Some were tall, and some were even taller. Elle felt impossibly small amongst these boys. One boy in particular caught her eye. He was tall, and he was wearing a hood, but Elle could see enough of his face that she was able to make out a long, horrible scar that went across his face. The boy smirked as he caught Elle staring him.

Elle turned her attention back to Pan as he said, "Oh, how rude of me. I've completely forgotten my manners," his eyes sparkled mischievously as he continued, "I realize, Miss Elle, that we haven't been formerly introduced. I'm Peter. Peter Pan." He then bowed, and looked up at her mockingly with a smile so sickeningly sweet.

Rumplestilskin snarled and said, "You don't get to talk to her. You stay away from her and send her home."

Pan's smirk widened and he said, "Now, laddie I don't think you are in any position to be making demands. The game has yet to begin, and I think our princess here will make a lovely player, won't you love?"

Elle didn't know how to respond to anything he was saying. All she felt in her stomach was a twisted knot that she couldn't get rid of, and it worsened whenever he spoke to her. All of a sudden, she felt two pairs of hands yank her away from her Papa, and she began to scream. She saw Papa's hands reach out and she thought he was going to do something with his magic when all of a sudden a cuff appeared on his wrist.

"Ah, ah, ah. Now Rumpel, we can't have you ruining all the fun. I think it would be best if we separated father and daughter for a little while. Take them away, boys." Pan said roughishly.

She opened her mouth to scream for Papa, but before she could even make a sound she was overcome by darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT FOR ELLE GOLD.

AUTHOR NOTE: Pan is not Rumple's father in this story, they are instead childhood friends. However, Pan still trades Rumple for youth, as Pan took care of Rumple as a child.

_Something isn't right. _

Elle felt a tightening in her chest.

_Where is Papa? _

Why couldn't she remember anything? Why couldn't she sit up? She tried to wiggle her fingers, but it felt like her whole body was frozen in place. The tightening in her chest only increased as a million thoughts began to race through her head.

_Did I get into an accident? _

She didn't remember driving anywhere.

_Was Papa there?_

She didn't remember seeing Papa _or _Belle.

_Is he okay? _

This was the question that Elle was afraid to contemplate. She couldn't understand why she felt like she had lost all feeling in her body. She couldn't explain the darkness that she was engulfed in. If she couldn't answer those simple questions, she didn't want to entertain the possibility that Papa could be in some kind of danger.

Then, like a shock, she felt water engulfing her and her eyes shot open. Immediately she took in her surroundings. The ceiling she was staring at looked like it was made of bamboo, or some kind of wood. As she looked around, she realized that she was in some kind of hut. Then she remembered. She was in Neverland. Her and Papa had been separated. Pan was out to make her a player in one of his games, but Elle would refuse to be apart of them. When she tried to push herself up to sit, she realized her arms were bound behind her back, and her feet were bound together in some kind of rope.

Then she heard laughing. She turned her head to find the source of the laughter, and her eyes came across the scarred face of one of the Lost Boys she had seen on the beach. Anger flared in the pit of Elle's stomach.

"How dare you," she began angrily, "You have five seconds to untie me, get me a towel, and show me where my father is. And I wouldn't dilly dally if I were you. My Papa isn't known for being a forgiving man, and when he sees what you've done...well, let's just say he'll be less than understanding." Elle seethed. She was a kind person, but her kindness ended when someone tied her up and dumped water on her. After that, she spoke with the power that one would expect the Dark One's daughter to have. However, her words only seemed to make the Lost Boy laugh harder. And it wasn't the kind of laugh that made you want to join in and laugh too. It was the kind of laugh that a bully would exude when they've made their target cry. When his laughter began to die he sneered and said, "Aw, isn't that sweet? The Dark One's little princess has teeth. Pan will like that."

"I don't _care_ what Pan does or doesn't like. In fact I would like to be the epitome of everything he dislikes. And princess or not, why would you tie up a girl? Have you no manners whatsoever? You certainly don't look, or smell like a gentleman, but show a little courtesy and cut me out of these ropes!" Elle had never been this angry in her whole life.

The boy's face darkened and he stalked towards her, invading her personal space, and leaned towards her face. Elle stiffened, she didn't want him anywhere near her and though she didn't want to admit it, she was afraid of this boy. And if she was afraid of _him,_ she could only imagine what it would be like when she had to deal with Pan. He was so close to her that his breath tickled her ear as he said, "You'll find there aren't many _gentleman_ here." He pulled back and the look in his eyes scared Elle right to her core. He looked at her, hungrily, the way a starved person would look at a piece of food. But before things could go any further, they heard a voice from the corner of the room.

"Careful, Felix. We don't want to upset our guest." Elle's eyes shot to where the voice was coming from and she saw Pan leaning against the wall, arms folded, smiling devilishly. The boy whose name Elle knew now was Felix pulled away from her quickly, and stood straight as a rod. Elle saw something flicker in Pan's eyes as he looked at Felix. Whatever it was, it made Felix leave the room immediately.

As much as she didn't like Felix, Elle liked being alone with Pan even less. She began to shiver because she was still sopping wet, and, although she'd never let Pan know, dread from whatever was to come. Pan pushed off the wall and began to walk toward her, and unconsciously Elle tried to shift herself backwards to put some distance between the two of them. Pan saw this and chuckled.

"Why are you laughing at me?" she huffed.

"I'm not laughing at you, I just find you amusing." His eyes glittered with the anticipation of a child.

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you, but I am not here for your amusement." She said bravely.

"Oh, love. You'll soon realize that everyone here is here for my amusement." He said as his expression darkened.

"Who do you think you are? Some kind of demented king who makes his subjects dance around for him like jesters?" She spat.

His face slowly changed until he glared at her with a sinister expression and said through gritted teeth, "If I were you, I would be much kinder to the person who controls your fate."

"You may think you control an awful lot here, but you'll never control me." She hissed.

Unflinchingly, Pan walked to the bed Elle was sitting on and hoisted her up roughly by her arm. Elle's eyes widened at their sudden close proximity, and she drew in a sharp breath when she saw Pan reach to his belt and pull out a sharp dagger. Pan snickered as he cut her bindings and said, "Well Miss Elle, we'll just have to put that theory of yours to the test, now won't we?"

He took her wrist harshly, and pulled her out of the hut. As he dragged her behind him relentlessly through the jungle, she felt thorns and vines snagging at her skin, and pulling on her skirt. She grimaced, stumbling over herself while having a great deal of difficulty keeping up with him.

Then all of a sudden he stopped abruptly, causing Elle to slam into him. Then, striking quick like a snake, he whirled her around placing her in front of him, her back to his front and grabbed her by the shoulders. She struggled, trying to get out of his grip, but he leaned into her and hissed, "How would you like to see your dear Papa?"

She stilled, and said, "Where is he? What did you do to him?"

"Take it easy princess, dear old Dad is just fine." As soon as the words left his mouth, Elle saw Felix pushing her Papa out of a similar looking hut. She couldn't contain her happiness, seeing him alive and right in front of her. She wiggled out of Pan's grasp, and ran towards him.

"Papa!" she exclaimed. She ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, unable to stop tears from falling from her eyes. Slowly, Rumplestiltskin wrapped his arms around her, and gently held her. When Elle pulled away, she noticed the cuff was still on her father's wrist.

Concerned, she asked, "Papa, what is that thing on your wrist? What have they done to you?" She knew there must be something taking away his magic because if he could use his magic they would have been long home by now.

Slowly, he uttered, "The cuff on my wrist makes me unable to perform magic. I am powerless here, dearie."

Fear restricted her heart, and she felt the dread creeping up on her again. How were they ever going to leave this awful place?

As if he read her mind, she heard Pan mockingly call out, "Isn't this touching, lads? Father and daughter reunited again. Or rather, the Dark One and his little princess." Elle looked around and saw the Lost Boys snickering at their leader's words. As she examined the group of boys, she saw most of them looked like they were her own age. They weren't young children like she always assumed they would be. She knew she couldn't underestimate these teenagers. They all seemed ruthless, and cunning-just like their leader.

She felt her father stepping in front of her, and heard him once again plead, "Pan, let her go. I'll give you whatever you want. Just let her go. She has so much ahead of her, she is so young, and she doesn't deserve this."

Pan pondered this idea for a moment and said, "How do you know she wants to leave, Rumple?"

"My daughter is smart enough to stay away from the likes of you." Rumplestiltskin growled.

"Is she? What if her and I make a bargain? I know how you so love to make deals. Am I right, Rumple?" he smirked.

Before Rumple could even protest, a pair of Lost Boys dragged him away from Elle, and he began to shout, "Elle, no! Whatever he says dear, you can't believe him! He's a cheat, he always has been!" Pan's eyes shot over to where Rumplestiltskin was standing and nodded to the pair of Lost Boys holding him. Another Lost Boy stepped over to where Rumple was, and proceeded to punch him in the stomach.

"Papa, no!" Elle tried to run to help him, but Felix instantly restrained her.

"Get your hands off me, you creep! Let me go!" Elle kept struggling, but Felix was much stronger than she was and held her in a vice-like grip.

Pan smirked, and walked over to where Elle and Felix were standing and began, "Elle, you really love your father, don't you?" Elle glared at him as he continued, "Well, Miss Elle, I'm prepared to offer you a deal. A trade, you might say."

Elle looked up at him, and asked tentatively, "What is it you want, Pan?"

Pan's eyes lit up as he continued on, "Well, love, I can offer you a choice. Whatever you choose is up to you. I promise whatever you decide; I will honor my end of the deal. I may not be the most well behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises."

Elle nodded slowly, and Pan carried on, "Your choice, my darling, you can be free to leave Neverland," he paused, and Elle knew then that it was too good to be true, that he must want something awful if he was going to actually let her go. She couldn't even look at him, anytime their eyes met she felt like her stomach was turning inside out. He walked closer to Elle getting close enough where he could reach out and touch her face and murmured, "But if you decide to leave Neverland, you will watch your father be killed." Elle inhaled sharply, and felt tears prick her eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening. That was when she realized that her father was right; this was no boy she was dealing with. He was truly the devil in disguise.

Pan chuckled at her horrified expression, and ran his hand along the side of her face as he said, "Or, I will let your father go, and you will stay here in Neverland-forever. You will not try to run, or escape me. You will belong to me."

Elle's blood ran cold at his soft words. She didn't know that someone could be so wicked. She looked up at him with tears now falling freely from her eyes as she whispered, "You're a _monster." _

Pan grabbed Elle's chin and purred with malice, "If I were a monster, he would already be gutted, and you would be my prisoner with no chance of ever leaving. You should be grateful." As he said these words his grip on Elle's chin increased to the point where Elle was sure it would bruise.

Rumplestiltskin called out weakly, "Elle, no! You don't know what you're doing! I've lived my life, go out and live yours! You can't stay here with him! He will hurt you!"

Tears ran down Elle's face, and her lips quivered. She knew what she had to do; she just wished it didn't hurt as bad as it did. She flinched as Pan wiped away her tears and caressed her face. "What'll it be, princess?" he hummed.

Elle lifted her chin up, and looked over at her father. The person she loved more than anything in this world. She couldn't stand to see him in pain. There was nothing he had ever denied her. She knew he lived a hard life, and had been through much pain. She wanted him to have the happiness he deserved, even if that meant removing herself from the picture.

Her eyes glittered with tears as she said, "Papa, I love you more than anything in the whole wide world. You've always given me the stars and the moon, which is more than I could ever ask for. But, I can't ask you to die for me, I'm sorry."  
>What happened next happened in the blink of an eye. Rumplestiltskin realized what his daughter was saying, and he shouted, "Elle, no!"<p>

While Elle turned her head to Pan, his eager green eyes locked with her sorrowful brown eyes, and said, "I'm yours, you have a deal."


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing except for Elle Gold!

As soon as the words left her mouth, Elle felt her heart sink. She knew she was doing the right thing for her Papa by saving him, but what had she really just agreed to? She swallowed hard, and let the tears fall freely from her eyes, cascading down her face.

The triumph on Pan's face made her stomach twist, and her insides tremor. His smile lit his face up in a way that made him look very handsome, but there was something underneath of that smile that made him much more sinister than he appeared on the surface.

She heard her Papa yelling and when she turned to look at him, her heart broke. She had never seen her Papa so distraught. She turned her head back to face Pan and asked quietly, "Can I at least say goodbye?"

She watched as his eyebrow quirked, and as his lips curved up into a wolfish smirk.

"I suppose a minute won't hurt." He grabbed her arm, and pulled her close to his face as he warned, "But Elle, if you try anything funny," his grip on her arm increased, "It'll be the last thing you ever do." He stepped back and let her go, and she swallowed hard. How was she going to spend eternity with this beast? She turned and ran to her father, wrapping her thin, dirty arms around him and holding him as tight as she possibly could. She felt him pull away and she could barely stifle the tears she felt well in her eyes, as she looked at her father so distraught.

He put his hands on her face and said, "I will find a way back to you. I will not leave you here." He opened his mouth to say something else, but Elle felt rough hands tear her away from her father, and as she began to protest, she saw a shadow grab her father by the shoulders and lift him from the ground into the sky.

She felt her heart wrench in her chest, and she screamed in agony, panicking now at the thought that that could have truly been the last time she could ever see her father, and she didn't even get to tell him she loved him, or even properly say goodbye.

She felt a sob stir in her throat, and she wiped away the now angry tears from her eyes in search for Pan. When her eyes landed on him, she felt nothing but hatred toward this boy-demon. She marched up to him, feeling the anger swell in her chest, and stood as close to him as she would allow herself and said, "How dare you? I didn't even get to say goodbye!" She poked at his chest, and opened her mouth to continue to yell at him, but she felt his fingers wrap around her wrist and she winced.

She lifted her head up, and dared to look into his eyes. Although his face looked eerily calm, his eyes were filled with cold rage. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she swallowed nervously. She hadn't even been here for a day and she had managed to make him angry. How was she going to live like this for eternity? Unless…he didn't plan on letting her live that long.

His grip on her wrist tightened as he said, "You should know, _princess, _that most people don't live after talking to me like that." He pulled her in close, and growled, "But since it's your first day, I suppose I'll make an exception." He threw her arm away from him, and she stumbled, trying not to fall over herself. She shook as Pan called all of his "boys" to attention.

"Alright boys, as you see we have a new _guest_ among us. She is going to be with us for quite sometime, so I expect you all to make her feel at home. If I find that any harm has come to her, you know the consequences."

Elle watched some of the younger boys gulp in fright as Pan delivered his lecture. The older boys, however, just stood like soldiers at quiet attention.

'How long had all of these boys been here?' She wondered. Were any of them prisoners like she was? Or were they all here voluntarily? She couldn't help but feel sorry for the younger ones. They shouldn't be here fighting, and hunting in the woods. They should be with their families in a safe, loving home. She looked at the wooded area around her, and scoffed to herself. This place would _never_ be her home.

Elle was disrupted from her thoughts, as she heard Pan dismiss the boys. When she turned to see where everyone had gone, she only saw Pan and Felix whispering quietly to each other. However, as soon as Pan noticed she was watching them, which was almost immediately, they stopped talking and Felix left the clearing abruptly.

Elle grimaced as she felt the twisted feeling in her stomach return as she was once again left alone with Pan. She hadn't decided yet if it would be a good idea to walk away from him, or not. She wanted to live long enough to find a way out of here, or for her Papa to get her, and she couldn't do that if she didn't know her way around. She also didn't want to make him angry enough to kill her, but she knew that would be a difficult task in itself. She didn't like him, and he had no reason to like her. So, she ended up just standing there, her thin arms folded across her chest, waiting for him to say something.

But he didn't say anything. Not for what felt like an eternity. He just stood there, leaning against a tree with his arms folded, staring at her. It wasn't long before Elle grew uncomfortable. She just wanted him to stop looking at her. Pan must have noticed because he smirked and said, "Does it make you uncomfortable when I do that, love?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Pan." She turned and faced away from him. She couldn't bear to see his eyes burning into her for another minute. But when she turned away from him, he appeared right in front of her. Much too close for her comfort.

"Don't lie to me. I will always know when you are lying. Lesson number one, Lost Girl."

"Don't call me a Lost Girl. I'm not one of your minions you can just send around to do your bidding, and I'm certainly not lost!" She spit out.

He glared at her and took a step towards her, but that was too much for Elle, so she took a step backwards. This continued until she felt the rough bark of a tree hit her back.

"You may not be lost now, princess. But, you will be."

"What does that even mean?" She demanded. "And stop calling me a princess. It sounds twisted and wrong when you say it."

He leaned into her, and she could smell his breath fan against her face. They stayed still like that for a moment, and she felt her heart speed up. The twisting in her stomach had reached a new high, and she felt lightheaded. She hated that this demon had this kind of effect on her. How was it possible for someone to make her this nervous, and afraid? She looked into his eyes, and the fierceness she saw in them scared her.

"I think in time, you'll come to like your nickname. Just as you'll come to like Neverland."

She breathed in sharply and said, "Let's make one thing clear, Pan. I traded myself for my father. I agreed to belong to you forever and to not try to escape you. But I never agreed to like Neverland, or you for that matter."

She thought she saw hurt flash over his face, but it was gone so quickly and replaced by a cold sneer that it was like it was never there to begin with.

"As long as we're making things clear, _princess," _he spat out the nickname this time, "You agreed to belong to me. And that means you belong to me, and only me. So get whatever ridiculous notions you have in your head of being rescued by your family because in the end, you will never get away from me."

Elle tried to retract from him, but he only moved in closer and put his hand on her cheek as he said, "You did promise me forever, after all."


	5. Chapter 5

I own nothing but Elle Gold!

Elle tore her face away from Pan's grasp, and pushed away from the tree. She began to walk away, despite having no idea where she was going, until a pair of lost boys stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Excuse me, you're in my way." Elle said. She grimaced as she felt a familiar, but unwanted presence come up behind her. Instead of hearing Pan make another remark about his power, or her never leaving, she decided to assert herself. If she was spending eternity here, although she didn't plan on spending that long here, she refused to be bullied.

Elle whirled around and had to hide her surprise when she saw how close Pan's face was to her own. She huffed and said, "Listen, Pan. You and I both know I have nowhere to go, so why don't you just leave me alone?"

He smirked and said, "Now, love, Neverland is a dangerous place. I can't have you wandering about. We wouldn't want you getting hurt." He flashed a devious grin.

Elle scoffed, "I can't imagine any monster on this island that could possibly be worse than you. In fact, I'm quite sure the farther away I am from you, the safer I'll be."

Without even waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the trees. Felix made a move to go after her, but Pan raised his hand and said, "If the Princess wants to run off into the woods with no Prince to look after her, then we'll just have to make sure she runs back to her knights in shining armor." Felix grinned and grabbed his club, and Peter turned his attention to the other boys.

Pan grinned slyly and said," Boys, it seems our Princess has run away from us. Why don't we show her how dangerous Neverland can be without our protection?"

The boys began to hoot and holler as they scattered off in different directions into the woods. Felix smirked, and gave Pan a nod before following the boys out into the forest, leaving Pan alone in the clearing. Pan looked around for a moment before sighing.

"You want me to be a monster?" He growled, "Fine, I'll show you a monster."

Elle shivered as she wandered through the forest. Her clothes were still damp from Felix dumping water on her earlier. The longer she trekked through the woods, the more tattered her clothes became. Her once long, light pink skirt was now tattered and brown at the bottom from all the dirt and branches. Her cream cotton blouse and matching cardigan were nearly see-through, and did nothing to keep her warm. Her long dark hair that once fell in neat, loose curls was now knotted, and matted in the back.

"If I could only find the beach, then at least I could wash off the dirt", she thought irritably.

Elle wasn't sure what her plan was, exactly. In fact, she was making this all up as she went along. Once her initial plan to be as far away from Pan had succeeded, she wasn't sure what to do. She needed a way off the island, that much was obvious, but since she made the deal with Pan she wasn't sure of a way to get off the island undetected. He seemed to know everything, as if he was connected with the island. She supposed she would just have to wait until Papa came back for her. And if she knew her father, she wouldn't be waiting for long. She just hoped she could manage to stay alive until then. She didn't know what Pan had planned for her, or why her wanted her to stay so badly in the first place, but she could only assume it wasn't for anything good. But Elle reasoned with herself that if he made such a deal to keep her here, then he probably wouldn't kill her. However, Elle had a feeling deep down that although he wouldn't kill her, he'd do everything but. As Elle wandered through the woods, she couldn't help but get the feeling that she was being watched. She was sure Pan was up to something. Although she had only been in Neverland for a day, she knew Pan well enough to know that he was going to try to make her pay for what she did earlier. And that scared her. There was something in his eyes, every time she looked at him that made her blood run cold. There was a darkness that followed him wherever he went, and Elle was unable to shake the churning feeling in her stomach whenever he was near. She couldn't understand how someone could be so ruthless, so cold. What was most frightening to her was that on the outside, he looked like a perfectly normal boy. Someone she could even imagine liking. Elle had no problem admitting to herself that he was very handsome; it was just unsettling that someone who was so striking could be a grotesque monster.

Elle was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a twig snap behind her. She whirled around, but saw nothing but darkness. She didn't even realize that night had fallen, and she could hardly see her surroundings. Had she even been out here that long? She was sure it was Pan trying to scare her, but she refused to fall into any of his traps. In the distance she began to hear hooting and hollering that she assumed was the Lost Boys coming from her. She quickly turned around and began to head in the opposite direction from the voices; she hoped she could find somewhere to hide until she was sure the voices went away. As she walked into what looked like a clearing in the darkness, she felt a gust of wind behind her. She wrapped her arms around herself, and tried to find a place where she could be sheltered from the chilly air. She knelt down on the forest floor and tried to warm herself when she felt something whizz by her head. She snapped her head in the direction of the object, and soon realized it was an arrow.

'It must be the boys', she thought. She began to panic as she realized someone must have spotted her. She decided her best bet was to start running. She stood up and grabbed her skirt, hiking it up to her knees with her hands, and took off farther into the darkness. As she tore through the forest she began to hear the chants and shouts of the Lost Boys. She could feel something behind her, following her silently and quickly through the forest. She tried to turn around to see what it was, but she could only see blackness. She felt her heart speed up, and her breathing begin to quicken. Suddenly, she felt a large, calloused hand wrap around her arm and yank her to the ground. She yelped as she was pushed onto the ground, trying desperately to fight the person off of her. She wriggled around trying to free herself, but the figure had her pinned to the forest floor.

"Who are you? Let me go!" she screamed. The person on top of her was impossibly strong, and she felt a twisted sense of recognition as the figure leaned close to her face. She was just able to make out who it was as their face began to show in the moonlight. They had a narrow looking face with a strong, angular jaw and cold blue eyes, topped with messy blonde hair. She breathed in sharply as she saw the jagged scar that ran down his face.

"Felix," she gasped.

He smirked and said, "At your service, Princess."

"How dare you, get off of me! " she spattered angrily. She wreathed, trying to get out from his strong, unyielding grasp.

The more she struggled, the tighter his grasp became until the pain was unbearable.

"Felix, stop! You're hurting me!" she begged.

"Did your dear old dad ever tell you the story of the Big Bad Wolf?" he said snidely as he dug his nails into her wrists.

"What?" she asked suddenly confused, gritting her teeth in pain.

"Don't be coy, Princess. The Big Bad Wolf, you must have heard it. He lives in the forest, and eats up Little Red Riding Hood?"

The more he spoke, the more violent he became. He hoisted her up, and pinned her against a tree, her back to his front, in one swift motion. Elle was baffled at his strength, he threw her around like she was a mere toothpick. He pressed her front into the rough bark of the tree, and whispered harshly in her ear, "Well, how about if we reenact the story? You can be Little Red, and I'll be the Wolf. Do you want to play?"

Elle's lip trembled as she tried to not cry. She wanted to be strong and brave until her Papa came, but she wasn't expecting anything like this. She took a deep breath, and said, "I don't want to play, Felix. Please let me go, I promise I'll go back to camp. I'll do whatever Pan asks. Just please, let me go." Elle's voice shook as she begged.

"Hmmm, wrong answer Princess. You lost your chances when you walked out of camp today. You could have had Pan's protection, the boys' protection, even _my_ protection, but you chose to walk away. You _chose _this." He growled.

Elle began to grow hysterical as she said, "Felix, please. I just needed space. I wasn't going to run! Please!"

"It's too late, Princess. You should have listened to Pan. You're all alone now." He pressed her even harder into the tree, and she felt his hips begin to grind into her back. He had her wrists pinned above her head in his one hand, and he had a fist full of her hair in the other hand. He forced his knee between her legs, and pressed his chest into her back. Elle felt dread wash over her as she realized she had nowhere to go, and she began to whimper quietly, willing herself not to cry.

"Please…please," she tried softly.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as he yanked her hair aside, revealing her soft, long neck glowing pale in the moonlight. She heard him hum deeply in his throat in approval. She began to hyperventilate; she had never felt this kind of fear in her whole life. Then, all of a sudden, she felt a sharp, hot pain in her neck. She gasped in pain, and cried out. He had bitten her, and she was sure he had drawn blood, as she felt a hot liquid drip down her now swollen neck. He growled and flicked the blood off her neck with his tongue. Elle sniffled, and although she hated him, she hoped Pan would show up. She knew he knew everything that went on in this island, which meant he was allowing this to happen. _This_ was her punishment, she suddenly realized.

As if on cue, she heard his voice call to her, "You want this to stop, pet? This can all stop now if you do as I say, when I say it."

"Please, I'll do anything, just make him let me go, please." she pleaded.

"How do I know you aren't lying to me just to get your own way?" he asked spitefully.

"I'll do whatever you ask, Pan. Whatever you want." she said hurriedly.

"Alright, Felix. Let go of the fair maiden." He commanded.

Immediately Felix withdrew himself, and without his support holding her up, Elle dropped to the ground.

She heard footsteps retreating and assumed that Felix must have gone, leaving her and Pan alone. She stayed on the ground, her head down. She refused to look up, she was too angry, frightened, and humiliated. And this was just because she left camp without his permission.

She felt him kneel down, and gently grasp her arm. She looked up when she saw a glow emitting from his hand as he waved it over her chest. She felt a strange tingling sensation, and then nothing.

She dared to look him in the eye, and asked, "What did you just do?"

"When I ask you to do something, you will do it without question." He said icily.

"And if I don't?" she asked timidly.

"Well, I suppose you'll just have to find that out the hard way if you decide to be stubborn." He said gruffly.

He stood up abruptly and began to walk away, expecting her to follow. But she didn't. She couldn't will herself to walk. This was all too much for her, the weight of the bargains she had made with him were finally beginning to settle on her small shoulders. She had been here for just a day, and she was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. But she wasn't going anywhere until she got some answers from him.

"All of this," she called to him slowly, "because I left camp without your permission?" She reached her hand up to gingerly touch her bruising neck.

She saw his broad shoulders stiffen in the moonlight, and without facing her, he said coldly, "You wanted me to be a monster. So, now I'm the monster."

Her breath caught in her throat, she had never heard someone sound so inhuman.

He turned his head over his shoulder, and said roughly, "You will obey me, one way, or the other. Get up, we're going home."

Elle, too tired and too afraid to argue, clumsily lifted herself to her feet and walked to a few feet behind where he stood, keeping a safe distance. When he realized she wouldn't come any closer to him, he turned around and roughly pulled her to him. Elle gasped at their sudden proximity, and shook slightly in his grasp. She didn't dare look him in the eye, for she was petrified of what she would find in his jade orbs. He took her chin forcefully in his hand, and when her eyes still refused to meet his he snarled, "Look at me, Elle."

When her eyes still didn't meet his, she felt a horrible, sharp pain spread through her chest, which dispersed down her spine, and made her insides feel like they were twisting inside out inside of her. The sheer pain she felt made her legs weak and begin to give out, but Pan gripped her even tighter to support her weight. She felt hot tears begin to involuntarily leak out of her eyes, and she felt like she was going to throw up. She began to scream, and the pain was making her vision begin to cloud. Her eyes flickered to Pan's in confusion, when suddenly all the pain suddenly subsided. She gasped for air, and began to sob as she asked, "What have you _done_?"

He looked at her coldly, and jeered, "Now, you'll never forget whom you belong to."

Elle sobbed in response, and was unable to even form a response. She was joined to this beast forever, and even if her father came, she wouldn't be able to leave. She had to do whatever he ordered her to do. She trembled like a leaf as she imagined all the horrible things he could possibly ask of her.

As tears ran down her lovely face, she looked up at him and bravely said, "If you plan on killing me, find some kindness in your twisted heart, if you even have one, and do it now. Don't drag this out."

Again, she thought she saw something that looked like hurt flash through his eyes, but as soon as it came it was gone and replaced with an icy glare.

"Now, now, love," he cooed mockingly as he brushed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, "I wouldn't dream of killing you. You'd be of no use to me if you were dead. Which is why you needed to be taught this lesson. It's to keep you safe."

She glared at him with a frostiness that matched his own and said, "So, how do I keep myself safe from you?"  
>Anger flashed in his eyes for a moment, and was quickly replaced by a dangerous expression of excitement as he pulled her closer and whispered, "You do exactly as I say."<p>

He pulled away from her slightly, and felt a dark pleasure wash over him as he felt her quivering in his hands.

He cocked his head to the side and asked scornfully, "Tell me, Elle. Are you afraid of me? And remember not to lie. I always know."

She bit her lower lip, and nodded quickly, hoping for this conversation to be over as soon as possible.

He leaned his face close to hers, his hot breath tickling her face and said, "Then you and I will work out just fine."

AUTHOR NOTE: Sorry it's been so long, friends! Life has been crazy, so I tried to give you a longer chapter here! Please read, and review. Let me know what you think, AND where YOU, yes YOU, would like to see this story go! I'm always interested in what you guys are thinking and I would love to hear some feedback!


	6. Chapter 6

Elle felt her stomach drop as Pan's words reverberated in her ears. It was all becoming clear to her: do what Pan says and survive, or disobey him and…she shuddered. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, but she realized she didn't have to as she felt the heat of his breath leave her tear soaked face. As she looked down, she saw his leather boots turn and begin to walk ahead of her, out of the clearing and into the jungle.

'I guess he doesn't feel the need to pull me along now,' she thought bitterly. Careful to keep her distance, she followed him into the jungle, pulling her torn sweater closer to herself in an effort to keep warm. Elle guessed that Neverland's nights were not nearly as warm as its days. As she followed Pan through the jungle, her mind began to drift. Although the curse, at least what looked and felt to her like a curse, made her mission to get out of Neverland seem basically impossible, she remembered words her father had told her long ago: Every spell and every curse can be broken. You just have to be clever enough to find a way. She brightened with hope; she was the daughter of the Dark One, and no silly Peter Pan could curse her and get away with it.

Despite her new resolve, she felt the pit of fear return to her stomach. Until she figured out a way to break the curse, and get off the island, she was stuck in Neverland under the watch of Peter Pan the Demon Boy and all of his monstrous Lost Boys. She needed to be careful, Pan said he wouldn't kill her, but tonight proved more than anything that he was willing to do whatever it took to remain in control. She needed to do whatever kept her in the least amount of pain possible, and the thought of that was frightening. She felt her breath quicken as images of Pan ordering her to do his bidding filled her brain. He could make her do whatever he wanted…and she couldn't say no. She was completely at his mercy. Before her thoughts could stray any farther, she felt her face slam into Pan's back. She quickly backed away, and looked around her. They were back at camp; she saw the fire crackling, and saw the various weapons of the Lost Boys scattered around the clearing. 'I guess teenage boys are messy in every realm.' She mused. As she looked around the clearing, she noticed the lack of Lost Boys. As she turned to ask Pan where everyone had gone, she heard it. There, in the distance, she heard soft crying. As she began to listen, the crying became louder and louder until it was impossible to ignore it. She flipped around to ask Pan what was going on, and why he wasn't stopping it, and saw Pan leaning against a tree, sharpening the dagger that resided in his belt. He looked up at her, and gave her his trademark smirk as he said, "Oh, don't let them bother you. You'll get used to the crying. But, if you need something to distract you, I would of course be willing to assist you," he quirked his eyebrow suggestively.

Elle glared at him disdainfully and said, "If this happens often, why don't you do anything to help them? Or, do you really just not care about anyone other than yourself?" As the words left Elle's mouth she realized quickly that she had not chosen her words wisely. Pan had stopped sharpening his dagger, and set his gaze on her, a dark glint in his eyes. Elle's eyes traveled to his dagger, and she watched it glisten in the dark moonlight of Neverland. She grimaced, and waited for him to move towards her and invade her bubble once again. But, it never came, in fact he stayed put. The two locked eyes, and it remained that way for a few moments, until Pan said, "Come stand in front of me, Elle."

Chills ran down Elle's spine as she realized what he was doing, but knew she couldn't refuse him without experiencing agonizing pain. Quickly, she moved towards him, but left about a foot of space in between them. 'A safe distance,' Elle reasoned. Pan smiled coldly as he understood her plan, and snickered, "Closer, Elle." She grimaced, but closed the gap between them; now close enough to touch him. The churning feeling in her stomach increased. Pan nodded, satisfied that she followed his commands and said, "Turn around." Elle hesitated, confused, but when she didn't immediately follow his command felt the white-hot pain begin to spread throughout her lungs. Frightened, she whirled around, desperate for the pain to stop and never return. The hairs on her neck stood as the sharp pains subsided, and she felt them replaced with Pan's breath on her neck. She closed her eyes, and suddenly felt something cold on her neck: the dagger. She tried to keep her breath steady as she said, "What could you possibly do to me now, that you haven't already done?" She felt the blade press deeper into her skin as he hissed; "You don't even know what kind of nightmares I could dream up for you here. This doesn't have to be difficult, but you seem rather insistent on making me discipline you."

She scoffed. "_This_ is your idea of discipline? I'm not a child, Pan. If anything we're the same age, it's not your job to discipline me."

He snorted and said, "I'm older than I look, Princess," he gently brushed the hair from her neck and pulled it all to one side, "I control everything on this island, and that now includes you."

Elle paused, knowing her comments and protests would get her nowhere, so she decided to change her tactic. "Why do they cry?" she asked softly.

She felt the pressure of the blade lessen until it barely touched her skin. She heard Pan sigh, removing the blade entirely as he said, "They're just taking the time to adjust to Neverland. Sooner, or later, they will realize that this where they belong. Until then, let them cry."

Elle turned her head over her shoulder to try to look at his face as she asked once more, "Why won't you help them?"

Pan's gaze hardened as he gritted his teeth and said, "They don't get any assistance from me until they learn not to be weak."

Elle tried to turn around to face him, but his grip tightened, and he held her in place. She huffed, and said, "You don't have to be such an ogre."

She grimaced as she felt his nails dig into her arms as he pulled her closer to him and said, "You haven't even seen an ogre yet."

Elle felt her blood boil as she said, "You made me choose between leaving this place, or having my father killed in front of me, you made me agree to belong to you forever, and you cursed me to obey every order I'm given. How are you _not_ an ogre?"

"I'm only telling you that I can make what I've already done look like child's play. Don't test me any further." With that, he pushed her away from him, and said stuck his dagger harshly back into his belt.

"Oh, and Elle…it's not every order you're given…it's every order _I _give you." Elle's heart thudded, and she turned around to face him, and she froze when he set his gaze upon her, his eyes flashing darkly. He slowly approached her, and Elle flinched back, amazed at how in only a day, her body was already trained to fear close contact. Elle tried her best to be brave, and kept her eyes sharp, and trained straight ahead of her. He clicked his tongue, and made a disapproving noise as he neared closer to her. Her eyes flickered to his face, in confusion, and saw his brow furrowed, his mossy eyes trained on her neck, after giving her a general once over.

Before she could ask what his issue was now, he said, "Felix really did a number on you. You look awful."

Elle felt heat wash over her face as she narrowed her eyes and said bitterly, "Well, thank you. You sure know how to make a girl feel great. Maybe next time you could tell your henchman to lay off the biting."

He sneered and said, "There won't be a next time if you behave."

"Why do you _insist _on treating me like a child? I've only been here for a day and all you do is boss me around! Maybe if you treated me like a person, I wouldn't absolutely _hate _you-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, her head was thrown to the side, and she felt a hot, sharp stinging in her cheek. Her hand flew to her face, and she flipped her head to look at Pan. Her eyes stung as she said, "…Did…did you just _hit_ me?"

As she looked at him, she saw a mad glint in his eyes, and that he was breathing heavily. He looked wild, and she was afraid once again. He said nothing, only gritted his teeth, and continued to pant, as if he had just ran a mile. She didn't know what came over her, but before she knew it, her hand flew up to make contact with his cheek. She had almost got him, but he caught her wrist right before her palm could meet his cheek.

He still said nothing, and she noticed his jaw was clenched and he was still panting, staring at the dirt. She couldn't take his lack of response so she continued, "You know, after all of the stuff you've already put me through, I never thought you would resort to petty violence to get what you want. I thought if nothing else you were craftier than that, but I guess I was wrong. You _are _a monster. But, at least I know what I'm dealing with. If you had a heart, I'd at least try to find a way to it. Now I know that won't work. So, thank you for filling me in." By the end of her little speech, Elle was in tears. She knew Pan was evil, but to smack her across the face seemed so mean and petty, even for him. She drew in a deep breath, and tried to hold in a sob, but it escaped her lips. She felt Pan's grip slip from her wrist, and she took her opportunity to move as far away from him as she could.

She was almost back at the edge of camp when she her him utter, "Stop walking." She felt her legs disobey her as she came to a halt. She felt him approach her, as the tears still trailed down her cheeks. She hadn't even bothered to wipe them away; she knew more would just come. She heard his footsteps approach her, and wondered what kind of torture was in store for her next.

He stood behind her and ordered quietly, "Turn around".

She turned to face him, and blinked quickly, as the tears fell faster down her face, dreading the intense pain she knew she was about to experience. She felt him take her chin, and tilt her face towards his. Her eyes flickered up to his, and noticed he was looking at her face; his gaze was aimed once again at her neck. She flinched as her lifted his hand up, and placed it on her neck, cupping the bruised area with his fingers. She wondered how someone so cold could have such warm hands. Then, she felt a tingling sensation in her neck. She looked at him once again and saw his face, twisted in concentration, his jaw still clenched. The tingled stopped, and he pulled his hand away, and let it fall to his side. Her hand flew up to touch her neck, and she realized the throbbing she had felt was completely gone. She couldn't feel the dried blood, or the swelling that had only a few moments ago had been present. All she could feel was smooth unmarred skin.

She gasped, and looked at him once again. He was staring at her with a look she had never seen in his eyes. It was a look she couldn't place. But, someone had never stared her at so intently.

"Did you-," she started. But he cut her off as he gruffly said, "You will be staying in my treehouse tonight. I will not be joining you. Touch nothing but the bed. Do not leave until I come to get you in the morning." Without another word he turned away from her and began to walk away, past the tents, and through another clearing. Elle stood there for a moment in total shock, completely forgetting that she should be following. She shook her head, as to clear her brain, and ran to catch up with him. She didn't know what to say to him, so after arguing with herself inside her head, she decided it would just be best to keep her mouth shut. They stopped in front of a large oak tree, and as Elle was about to ask where he was running off to for the night, or where he was sleeping, he had vanished, leaving her more confused then she had ever been in her seventeen years of life.


	7. Chapter 7

Elle sighed, and began to climb up the ladder that was attached to the great oak tree. When she reached the top she was surprised to see the same room she had woken up in earlier that day.

'Wow…' she thought. 'Had it really only been a day that she had been here?' For a moment she had an awful worry that it had perhaps been much longer than that. She knew time in Neverland worked differently, but for now she pushed those thoughts aside. She couldn't worry about these things, when she had much bigger things to worry about. It was then that her thoughts shifted to Pan.

'So this is his room…"she mused. For a moment, she considered destroying his things until she realized she'd not only pay dearly for it, but that he had ordered her to touch nothing but the bed.

She grimaced. She couldn't stomach the thought of sleeping where he slept every night. On the other hand, she was exhausted. After her mind played tug of war for a minute, she finally decided that she would lie in the bed. She wouldn't survive this island and its' inhabitants if she didn't sleep.

Slowly, she moved towards the center of the room, and gingerly touched the sheets. Finally, her resolve weakened and she sat on the bed, took her shoes and torn sweater off, and quickly laid down, hoping that if she did it quick enough, she would be too tired to change her mind. As she lay down, she quickly realized how tired she was. Her eyes began to droop, and the last thought she had before sleep overcame her was that the sheets and pillow smelled like him.

When Elle awoke the next morning, she noticed a plate of berries, and some bread on a desk near the bed. Next to it, there was a piece of paper with a simple command scrawled on it. It said, "Eat." She briefly wondered if it was poisoned, and if written commands worked the same as spoken ones. She knew it was from him. Did she really trust anything he was going to give her? After everything he had put her through? But the little angel on Elle's shoulder gently reminded her that he was also the one who healed her yesterday. For those brief, few seconds, he wasn't the monster she believed him to be. Maybe he did have a heart, and if he did, then maybe she could find a way to it, and convince him to let her leave. Maybe all she needed to do was change her tactics.

"It's not poisoned, you know." She whirled around and saw the object of her thoughts leaning against the doorway.

He raised an eyebrow at her and his eyes flickered to the untouched food, "The food."

She swallowed and said, "I-I know." 'Oh my god, why am I stuttering?' she thought.

He pulled himself off of the wall and took a step towards her, his arms still folded casually across his chest.

"If you know, then eat it." He dared.

Elle raised her eyebrow, and frowned. She didn't like being challenged, especially when it was by him. But, she didn't want to fight this early in the morning. If she wanted to make any progress towards getting out of Neverland, she would have to choose her battles. She glanced down at the food, picked up a berry, and popped it into her mouth. When she bit down, she discovered the fruit was juicy and sweet. It was then she realized how hungry she actually was. Deciding to relent her protests for the moment, she picked up the plate and lightly began to pop the berries into her mouth, taking great care to chew slowly and savor the taste. She walked over to the bed again, for the farther she was away from Pan, the better she felt. She sat down on the bed, putting the plate down, and picking the bread off of the plate, pulling it into small pieces and eating it slowly. She was painfully aware of Pan's unwavering gaze as she ate, and her eyes slowly flickered up, resting on his face, where she saw his stare had never left her. She cleared her throat and said, "Do you have something to say, or are you just going to watch me eat all day?"

At this Pan smirked and said, "That's impossible. I didn't give you enough food to the whole day."

Exasperated, Elle huffed and said, "Do you have something to say, or not? Because if not I would just prefer to eat my breakfast in peace."

"Well, my little lost princess, it does so happen that I do have some information to share with you this morning." Elle said nothing, but continued to eat the piece of bread in her hand.

"I'll take your silence as permission to continue, not that I need it, but I am nothing if not a gentleman to fellow royalty such as yourself."  
>At this, Elle bit back a retort, angry that he would call himself a gentleman after all of the torture he put her through since she had arrived in Neverland. But, something in her begged her to keep quiet. If she were to truly change her tactics in order to escape the island, she couldn't be blowing up at him every chance she got.<p>

Elle swallowed as Pan continued, "I've decided that tonight, in honor of your arrival, we will be throwing a ball to celebrate your eternal stay in Neverland!" Elle's stomach dropped at his gleeful mention of her stay being referred to as, _eternal._ It seemed so final.

"Pan, that really isn't necessary-"she started, but was cut off as Pan interrupted, "Oh, but it is. We haven't had a girl on the island in quite some time, and we've certainly never had a princess among us. A princess like you deserves the finest ball we can throw. You will attend." Elle noticed the last part was far closer to an order, then an invitation. She decided to try something else.

"I would appreciate if you would stop calling me a princess. And I'm not sure if my arrival is something to celebrate, considering the circumstances I came in. Besides, I have nothing to wear. Your lapdog, and godforsaken island tore the only clothes I have to shreds." She bit out the last part. She hadn't meant to make any comment that could start a fight, but it just slipped out of her mouth.

Pan's eyes glinted at her comment, but he smiled and stepped toward her with a crooked smile that looked wrong on his face.

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that, Princess." His eyes flickered to a corner behind her. Confused, Elle turned around and gasped. In the corner hung an ethereal dress that looked like fairies had spun the thread themselves. The dress was long, with a tulle skirt that reached the ground. It was a shade of creamy white, with strands of gold spun into the tulle. On the skirt were flowers made of soft silky fabric that hung down over the tulle. The top of the dress was just as delicate as the bottom. The bodice was made up of lace, with sleeves that just draped over the shoulder. The dress was one of the most beautiful things Elle had ever seen. As she stood, stunned, she felt the tickle of breath in her ear.

"A gift. I will add the finishing touches tonight." Elle turned to tell him that this was much too beautiful for her to ever wear, especially the forests of Neverland. But he was already gone. Elle tentatively stepped towards the dress, as if she was afraid if she moved too quickly it would disappear. Gently, she fingered the tulle skirt, and brushed her hand over the delicate bodice. It was something out of her dreams. How could someone like Pan create this? Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a cough behind her, and suddenly she realized she wasn't alone, and she wasn't with Pan either.

She turned and froze as she saw her least favorite of the Lost Boys, not including Pan-Felix. Elle's good mood deflated as she asked, "What do you want?"

She saw Felix's lips twitch upward in a smirk as he said, "Pan asked me to watch you until the ball tonight. So, here I am."

Elle snorted, "And he thought that was a good idea considering our recent history together?"

Felix let out a chuckle that would have been pleasant if it had come from someone else and said, "Oh, he thinks that we should put the past behind us, considering you will be with us…well, forever."

Felix stepped closer into the room, and stuck out his hand.

"What do you say, truce?" Elle eyed his large hand, and then met his eyes.

"If Pan didn't want us to move on, would you have offered a truce at all?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Felix dropped his hand, and smirked as he murmured, "If Pan didn't want us to move on, I'd make sure you'd never forget our little rendezvous. I quite enjoyed myself, and if you stayed a little longer, you would have, too."

Elle stepped back, frightened and disgusted by the tall boy before her. Felix slowly closed the gap between them until he was close enough to reach out and grab her.

"What did I do to you to make you hate me so much?" Elle whispered. Felix took another step until he was so close Elle could feel his breath fan her face.

"What makes you think I hate you?" Felix asked innocently. This caught Elle off guard as she stuttered, "But you…what you did-" Elle stopped abruptly as she backed herself into the wall.

"What I did was under Pan's order, girl. Enjoying what I did was just a bonus. It was nothing personal." Felix said in a manner of fact way.

"Besides, you belong to Pan. Which means I can't hurt you unless I'm ordered to. Until then, I'm here to protect you."

Elle scoffed, "Why would you protect me? And what is there to protect me from? So far, the most dangerous creatures I've seen have been you and Pan. And my name is Elle, not girl."

Felix smirked and said, "Ah, yes, _Elle_. There are things that lurk in Neverland that are _almost_ as dangerous." Felix abruptly pulled away, and stalked over to the desk on the far side of the room, and roughly pulled open a drawer. Out from the drawer he pulled a small vile that was filled with black liquid. Elle tentatively took a step forward to better observe what it was.

Felix turned his gaze towards Elle and held out the vile to her. "Here," he said as he offered the bottle to her. Elle gingerly took it from him, and held the bottle close to her face to examine it. As she gazed at it for a few moments, she felt Felix's presence behind her. She stiffened, but remained still as she felt his breath fan her cheek as he said, "_That, _dear princess, is the most dangerous thing in all of Neverland.

Elle furrowed her brow and asked, "What is it?"

"Dreamshade. It's a deadly poison. One drop of this in the bloodstream, and you'll be dead in a few hours."  
>Elle turned, "Why do you have a bottle of it?"<p>

Felix smirked, "We usually take the poison and coat the tips of our arrows in it…but occasionally Pan needs it for other things, and so we have bottles of it for those occasions."

Elle breathed in sharply, not wanting to know what, or rather who, it was that they needed bottles of Dreamshade for. She swallowed as a dark thought surfaced in her head.

"Felix…how painful is dying from Dreamshade?"

Felix's eyes darkened as he said, "It's said to be the most painful thing you could ever imagine. Your body feels like it's burning from the inside out. The veins inside of you blacken and grow until they take over your whole body," he paused and glanced at the floor, "It's not something I would wish on anyone."

Elle was taken back by his rare moment of humanity and asked, "If you drink this, is there a taste?"

Felix's eyes snapped to meet Elle's as he said, "There is a distinctly sweet taste, I'm told." He snatched the bottle out of her hands and said, "So don't get any ideas."

Before Elle could say anything she heard a loud whistle coming from outside. She turned her head to follow the sound, but saw Felix already heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Pan needs me, but don't worry," he smirked, "you'll see me soon."

Elle rolled her eyes, and was about to retort, but Felix was already halfway down the ladder as he called up, "I would get ready now if I were you!"

Elle huffed and returned to the far side of the room, where the ethereal dress still hung, waiting to be worn. Elle looked around quickly, a wave of fear washing over her as she worried about someone walking in on her changing, and quickly discarded her dirty blouse, and skirt, replacing them for the beautiful dress. She found a long, antique mirror near the bed, and stepped into its view.

She gasped at the beauty of the dress, and the way it fit her small frame perfectly. She only wished she was cleaner, and that her hair wasn't matted, and dirty. Then, maybe she would look like the princess that was actually supposed to wear this dress.

"Lovely," she heard a familiar voice murmur. She turned quickly, and was unsurprised to see Pan leaning against the wall, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Pan, I really don't think I should wear-" she started.

"Nonsense. You're perfect." She blushed at his outright appraisal, which was so different from his taunts that she had grown used to.

She looked at the ground and tried, "Please understand. This is really beautiful, and I appreciate that you gave this to me, but-" she stopped. She felt his fingers curl under her chin, and lift her face so that her eyes would meet his. She was once again taken aback by his sudden gentle nature, and wondered how long it would be until his true nature showed again.

"Would you stop sputtering and just look in the mirror," he said with a cocky grin on his face. She frowned, and begrudgingly turned her gaze towards the mirror, and gasped at her reflection. Her skin was no longer coated in dirt, and sweat. It was clean, and clear, and the multiple cuts and bruises that had once littered her skin were nowhere to be found. Her hair was no longer dirty, or matted, but swept up in a low bun, with a few loose tendrils falling around her face.

"How…did you…" she started, but was too astonished to string together a sentence.

As she gazed into her reflection, she could see Pan, standing a full head taller behind her with the same intent gaze in his eyes that he possessed the previous night. Elle watched him as he delicately placed a crown of flowers on her head.

"See?" he said quietly, "Perfect."

She swallowed, and her eyes flickered to meet his.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked nervously. She saw his eyes harden, and any kindness that had once lingered, was now replaced with his normal dark gleam.

"I don't have to be a monster. Remember that."

Elle's breath caught in her throat, but before she could respond, his face was suddenly lit with a mischievous smirk, and he said, "Now, princess, we have a ball to attend."


	8. Chapter 8

Rumplestiltskin landed with a thud on the hard concrete of Storybrooke. He felt the panic swell and bubble in his chest. He knew every second he waited, was a second longer that his beloved daughter was stuck with that demon. He lifted up his head, and saw that the shadow had dropped him right in front of Granny's Diner. He gingerly pushed himself off of the ground, and hobbled quickly through the storefront.

As he pushed open the door, his eyes scanned quickly for Belle, hoping she would be there. He found her, sitting at the countertop with a burger in front of her, uneaten, and a book in her hand.

"Belle," he called out hoarsely, his voice weak from screaming for Elle. Belle's eyes snapped to meet his, and her face melted into relief as she saw him standing there. As quickly as he could, Rumple limped to her side. Sensing something was wrong; Belle hastily put down her book and rushed to his side.

"Rumple, what's wrong? Why don't you have your cane?" she asked hurriedly, her eyes searching his face for answers.

She ushered him into one of the booths, as he said, "He's got her, Belle. That demon-boy. He has her…it's all my fault…" Rumple shook his head, as his voice shook with pain at the thought of his beautiful daughter trapped forever on that wretched island.

"Rumple, slow down. What happened? Where is Elle?" Belle asked worriedly.

"She went into the back of the shop. She opened a portal to Neverland, and fell in. I went after her, but it was too late. Pan found us, and he blocked my magic. Then he forced Elle to trade herself as a prisoner forever, in return for my life and passage off of the island. I need to find a way back, I need to save her." He said hurriedly.

Belle tried to take the news all in at once, but her heart was overcome with worry and grief for the girl she had always seen as a daughter. _Her _daughter.

"How do we get to Neverland? What do we need to do?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking.

"_We _do not get to Neverland. _I _will be going to get her," he saw the hurt in her eyes and quickly added, "I can't risk losing you, too. I need you here. Someone needs to be here to take care of her if…if I don't come back."

He was about to continue when he saw Regina, The Charmings, and Emma Swan headed their direction.

"What's the problem here, Gold?" Emma asked.

Belle turned and softly said, "Elle's gone."

Everyone gasped as Snow probed, "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

Gold stood up quickly, "I don't have time to explain, every second I sit here talking to you, I am wasting more time. And time is precious in this situation." He said swiftly as he began to limp towards the door of the diner.

"Gold," Regina called sharply. "I assure you if it has to do with Elle, we want to help."

Rumple stopped and sighed, turning around to face the group. "Elle was snooping in the back of my shop, and accidently opened a portal to Neverland. I chased after her, but by the time I got there, Pan had already found us, and blocked my magic. He gave Elle a choice. She could leave the island, but would have to first watch me die in front of her or, I could leave the island unharmed, but she would have to remain on the island forever, as his prisoner. I'm sure I don't need to tell you which option she chose."

"Wait," Emma interrupted. "Neverland? Peter Pan? You mean the kid who flies around in green tights and uses pixie dust?"

"I'm afraid the real Peter Pan is much different than the one in the stories, dearie. I knew him, long ago. We were friends, like brothers in fact. He was always a cheat, and a liar, but he never lied to me, and made sure we had clothes, and food to eat, so what he did didn't matter to me. But, one day, he was gone, and the next I heard of him, he was stealing children, boys, from their homes and taking them to his home, Neverland. He's vicious. A demon. And he has my daughter. So you can find a way to help me, or stay out of my way." He turned on his heel, and swiftly left the diner.

Emma turned to Belle and said, "Whatever it is, we're in. We love Elle, all of us. She's like family."

"And you know us," added Charming. "Family always finds each other."

Elle sat and watched the Lost Boys dance wildly around the campfire. Pan had been playing a set of pipes for what seemed like hours. Elle watched curiously, as the boys danced with reckless abandon. It was so wild; it hardly seemed like dancing at all. They were shouting, jumping, and howling so rowdily that Elle wondered if they were even in control of their own bodies. It looked as if they had given themselves entirely to the music. That is, if there had been any music to dance to. Pan had been blowing into his pipes for ages, and yet, Elle had yet to hear anything but the whooping of the boys. Pan claimed to know everything; didn't he know his own pipes were broken? Maybe the boys were just too afraid to tell him, and so they danced anyway.

Her eyes peeked over to where Pan was sitting playing his pipes, and her heart jolted when she saw that he was already looking at her. In an effort to look unafraid, she stood up and made her way towards where he was.

At the sight of her approach, he pulled his lips away from the pipes, but Elle noticed that the boys kept dancing.

"You know those are broken, right?" Elle asked, gesturing to the pipes he was holding.

"Really? They don't look broken to me." He sniggered, standing.

"Well, nothing is coming out of them. You've been blowing away all night, and there has been no noise except for your boys' shouting. You must have trained them quite well, to dance to no music." Elle replied, folding her thin arms across her chest.

"Interesting," he hummed impishly.

"What's-" she began, but Pan had already strode away from her into the middle of the campground.

"Alright, lads, listen up!" He called. At once, the boys stopped dancing. Elle could see that most of them, except for Felix who was the only one who had not been dancing, were out of breath. Some of the smaller boys even fell to the ground, panting and wheezing from exhaustion.

Elle frowned when she noticed a small boy, who couldn't have been older than seven, lying on the ground, coughing from lack of air. No one seemed to pay him any mind, which made Elle all the more annoyed. Quickly, she crossed over to him and kneeled down carefully.

"Are you okay, sweetie? What's your name?" she asked quietly.

The boy's eyes snapped to meet hers, and Elle was surprised to see that his bright blue eyes were filled with fear. He sat back, and tried to shy away until Elle said, "You don't have to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you."

The boy stopped moving, but still wouldn't speak. His lower lip trembled, like he was going to burst into tears at any moment. The sight of it broke Elle's heart. She reached her hand out to him and said, "I'm Elle. What's your name?"

The boy wiped his nose with his arm and said timidly, "Oliver. But you're supposed to call me Ash here."

Elle's brow furrowed at the thought of forcing a new name on someone, said, "What would you like me to call you?"

The boy swallowed nervously and said, "My mommy called me Oliver, and I miss her a lot."

Elle frowned at the thought of this small child being stolen away from a home he obviously missed, and said, "Oliver it is, then."

She gestured to her outstretched hand once more, and waited for the small boy to take it. When he finally reached out his hand, and put it in her grasp, she gently helped him to his feet.

"Well, little Miss Elle!" she heard Pan taunt loudly. Elle's head turned, and saw that Pan, and the rest of the Lost Boys' eyes were on her. She swallowed nervously, and leaned down to Oliver and whispered, "Why don't you go sit down over there," she nodded her head to a nearby log, "I will be over soon."

Oliver's eyes nervously flickered from hers to Pan's, deciding what to do.

"Go ahead, Ash! Take a seat! You and I can talk later!" Pan called cheerfully, but there was a dangerous look in his eyes that made Elle nervous for the boy's safety. Oliver quickly withdrew his hand from Elle's and scurried away. Elle angrily turned to face Pan, but held in her retort as she saw the threatening glare Pan threw her way.

"Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," his flashed Elle a cocky sneer, "Our lovely Princess will be staying with us for quite some time, and that's why we've thrown her this wonderful party! But, I think now it is time our Guest of Honor to dance!" He roared.

Elle's eyes darted around nervously as the boys around her began to shout and howl again, further encouraging Pan.

"No, please…I'd really rather not-" she started but Pan hollered, "Don't be shy, Princess! Come dance with me!" Elle heard the masked demand in what sounded like a playful offer, and felt the pain start to spread in her belly. She gulped, lifted up the bottom of the tulle skirt, and quickly crossed to the center of the campground where Pan was standing. She looked around, suddenly nervous that everyone was watching. But in a flash, the boys were all dancing wildly, paying no attention to the pair in the center of the circle.

She turned her gaze towards Pan, who was looking at her with a tight-lipped grin. They still hadn't started dancing, and Elle was struggling to maintain her calm composure.

"Am I to believe you even know how to dance?" Elle strained, the pain becoming even more prominent.

Pan's sneer deepened and said, "You'll find that _belief_ is a very powerful thing here." He bowed deeply, keeping his mossy eyes trained on hers.

Elle curtsied quickly, hoping the pain would subside, but was disappointed when she felt it only spread through her belly, up into her chest.

Pan straightened, and swiftly seized Elle's small wrist, pulling her to him so fast that she stumbled clumsily into his chest. Elle gasped, her nostrils filled with the scent of him. He smelled like grass, mint, and evergreens. Her heart quickened, but the pain had still not waned. She tried to straighten herself up, but it was all she could do not to fall to the ground. She put even more of her weight on him for support, and said quietly, "Can we please start dancing? It hurts."

She felt Pan wrap his arm around her back, and completely support all of her weight. He was so much stronger than his lean frame let on. She supposed that wasn't the only deceiving thing about him. She grimaced as the pain worsened, and felt him lean down to whisper in her ear.

"I like hearing you beg." He said simply. Elle shuddered, but felt the pain begin to dwindle as he hoisted her up so she was standing on the toes of his boots, and began to waltz around the campfire. Elle sighed as the last waves of pain finally left her body. Her eyes wandered up from Pan's chest to his face, and she saw for once that he wasn't looking at her. He was staring far away, his youthful face contorted in concentration.

"I didn't know you could dance…" Elle tried.

Pan's eyes flashed to hers as he said, "There's a lot you don't know about me, Princess."

Elle swallowed, and said, "About Oliver-"

Pan's eyes narrowed. "Ash."

"I think he prefers his _real _name." She argued.

"And _I_ think that you should remember your place." Elle grimaced as his grip around her middle became painfully tight.

"Well you made it so I can't forget." Elle spit out. She moved to get out of his grip, but his hold on her was iron clad.

"Let go of me." She struggled.

He pulled her close and whispered, "Never." He laughed cruelly as she struggled in his grip and said, "Now, what to do about_ Ash_," he mocked. "He seems to be the only thing in Neverland that as been able to obtain your affection, how _fascinating_," he taunted.

"Don't hurt him, he's just a boy, he hasn't done anything wrong," she pleaded. She looked at his face, and searched his eyes to see if she could find some part of him that would show kindness. But, his eyes were cold and unkind. Just like him.

"You're angry at me, not him. Please." She tried one last time.

"As much as I love watching and feeling you squirm," he squeezed her even tighter to him, "I have a solution that will make us all happy." He said, his eyes glittering.

Elle stopped struggling, and breathed heavily as she stared at him, waiting for him to continue. He smirked and said, "Whenever you misbehave, or disobey me, your punishment will be taken out on _Ash_." Elle breathed in sharply and started to protest only for Pan to put one hand over her mouth and continue, "It's easy really. You cooperate with me, and Ash stays safe. Everyone wins."

He moved his hand from her mouth and she bit out, "You are the only winner in Neverland, and you know it."

He leaned in close to her face and said, "And now you know it, too."

Suddenly, he let go of her, and Elle faltered at the unexpected loss of contact.

"Does this mean you're going to lift the spell you put on me?" She asked bitterly.

He chuckled darkly and said, "Not a chance. But, nice try, Princess." He stopped for a moment and shut his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened them, there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. He looked towards where Felix was leaning against a tree, sharpening a knife. Their eyes met, and they nodded to each other, as if they understood what the other was thinking. Then suddenly, Pan grabbed her wrist, and roughly pulled her to the outskirts of the campground, towards his tree house.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked as she tripped over herself, trying to keep up with him.

"Somewhere safe." He said shortly. He half pulled, half dragged her until they were at the base of his tree house.

"Tell me what's going on." She demanded. She panted, exhausted from trying to keep up with him. He still had a hold on her wrist, but his grip had relaxed a little. Elle had given up trying to read his face; he never betrayed his true emotions. That much she had learned quickly.

She ignored whatever protest, or excuse he had prepared and quickly continued, "After everything you've put me through, I deserve to know why you are dragging me through camp to hide me away in some tree house. It must be something bad for you to be worried enough that you feel you need to protect me."

She waited for his response, knowing he wouldn't like her tone. His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer to her and said, "I protect the things that belong to me, Elle. And that now includes you. Whether you like it, or not."

"What is happening?" she persisted, choosing to ignore the comment about belonging to him.

Pan laughed darkly and said, "Someone's in Neverland."


	9. Chapter 9

Gold brushed himself off as he watched his counterparts pick themselves up off of the sand. He rolled his eyes, annoyed that they had wasted this much time already. Getting to Neverland had not been as easy as it was when he came with Elle. In fact, if he were not as invested in the situation at hand, he would have laughed at the cruel irony that it had taken them so long to "break in" to Neverland, when Elle had arrived completely by accident.

They had to find another magic bean, which wasn't particularly difficult. Gold had hidden at least two more beans among the items in his shop. The difficult part was everyone arguing over who was going and who was staying, and Gold had little patience for this. Everyone except for Belle, and Henry had come with him to Neverland including, to Gold's dismay, Hook.

Gold was certain Hook was only here to impress Emma, but Hook had swore that he knew Neverland better than any of them, and Emma had then insisted that Hook was Elle's "best chance".

Belle was not happy to stay behind, but ultimately, she understood where she was needed. Neverland was a dangerous place, there had to be someone in Storybrooke who could be there to take care of Elle if they didn't return. 'And', Gold thought dejectedly, 'the odds of all of them returning were slim.'

Gold was surprised, however, at how much of a fight Henry put up to go with them. Henry and Elle were quite close, this he knew, but he was surprised at how determined the young boy was to join them. Then again, that kind of determination ran in the family.

He shook his head briefly and said, "Let's not take all day. I'm sure Pan has already felt us enter Neverland, which means we have a finite amount of time to get to Elle without him, or his boys getting in our way."

Emma brushed off her pants, and her face contorted in confusion. "We just got here, how could he already know that we're here?"

Hook scowled and said, "He's a bloody demon, lass. He knows everything that happens in Neverland. He's connected to the island, and nothing happens here without his say."

Regina frowned and said, "So, if nothing happens without his permission, why did he let us in in the first place?"

Gold sneered, "He's an eternal teenager. There isn't anything he loves more than a game, and we make very interesting players. Which is why we need to get in and out quickly."

David stepped forward and said, "So, what's the plan?"

Hook said, "We need to find Pan's camp. He moves it every few days, but sometimes it could be as much as every few hours. There are camps set up all over the island, but he normally favors the south end of the island. That's our best bet, mate."

Gold smiled sourly and said, "Lead the way, laddie."

Elle tilted her head in confusion and said, "Who? Who is it?"

They were back in Pan's tree house, Elle still wearing the gown Pan had given her. Pan was going back and forth between staring at a map on the desk, and pacing moodily, while Elle sat on the bed, desperate for answers.

"Pan," she called loudly. He stopped pacing, and turned to look at her. His face, normally devious and playful, was replaced with a sinister glower. A look that wicked didn't belong on a face as young as his.

Elle swallowed, "Do you know who it is?"

Pan sneered and said, "Just some old friends." Elle furrowed her brow and said, "If they're your friends, why are you this worried?"

Pan's smirk deepened as he strode over to where she was sitting and stood in front of her, towering over her small frame that was curled up on his bed. He leaned down to be eye level with her and asked dangerously, "What makes you think I'm worried?"

"I-," she started, but he clamped his hand over her mouth and said, "I need to go, and you need to stay out of sight until I take care of this. If I catch you out of this tree house, believe me, Elle, I will make you regret it."

He pulled away, and straightened up, walking back over to the desk. Elle swallowed nervously and asked, "Why do you always feel the need to threaten me?"

Without even turning around he hissed, "Because that's proven to be the only thing that works with you, love."

Elle felt her stomach churn with anxiety, and fear as she began to ramble, "How long are you going to be gone? And how long do you expect me to stay up here? I don't have any other clothes, where do I even go to the bathroom? How am I supposed to eat? And I really need to shower-"

"Enough." Pan ordered.

Elle closed her mouth before she could even feel the beginning ebbs of pain. Pan sneered and said, "Best thing I ever did was that little spell. You're so much easier to deal with when you listen."

Elle looked down, holding in the tears that threatened to fall as he continued, "I don't know how long this will take, but I will be back at some point tomorrow night to check on you. The boys will bring your meals to you."

Elle sniffed, and looked up, ready to point out that he hadn't mentioned a solution to her bathroom, or clothing situation when she saw him lift a hand up and wave it over the back end of the tree house. She turned and followed his gaze to the far wall, and saw that there was now a small bathroom, similar to the one in her room in Storybrooke, in the tree house.

He turned and flicked his wrist lazily, and a wardrobe appeared next to the bed; Elle's eyes widened in surprise. He turned and said snarkily, "I believe that solves your other issues. Forgive me, I guessed on the sizes," his eyes raked over her form suggestively.

Elle frowned as he continued, "I'll be back tomorrow night, but if you need me any sooner, I'll come to you as soon as I can."

Elle said, "How would you know if I needed you?"

He smiled smugly and continued, "Try not to make any trouble, I'd rather not add punishing you to my list of things to do."

Elle rolled her eyes and muttered, "Why? It's never bothered you before?"

Pan shot daggers at her, and warned, "Careful, Princess, another smart comment like that could be painful for you…or Ash."

Elle's eyes darted to his, fear welling up inside of her again. How could he be playful one moment, but terrify her into submission the next? She could never follow his moods, or tell when his temper was going to flare. She felt like she was constantly walking on eggshells around him. The only thing she felt sure of was that he was ruthless, and he would do anything to get his way, even harm a child like Oliver.

Her lower lip trembled as a single tear fell down her cheek. She sniffed, and nodded, hoping he would be satisfied with her silence, and just leave her alone. But, to her dismay, she heard his footsteps approach her until he was kneeling on the ground in front of her. She tried to turn her face away from him, and hide, but he nimbly caught her chin between his fingers and turned her face towards his. She sniffed and hurriedly tried to wipe away the tears that had begun to fall more rapidly, but it was pointless. She knew he had already seen them.

"Crying won't help you here," he said. "It doesn't help the boys, either."

Elle sniffed and said, "Please, just go."

Pan lifted his hand to tuck a strand of stray hair behind Elle's ear and murmured, "If you would just obey me, things would be much easier."

"Obeying would be much easier if you weren't so horrible." Elle whispered harshly.

Pan's hand, which had been resting on the side of her head where he had tucked the stray hair, suddenly whipped to the back of Elle's head, and yanked backwards. Elle stifled a scream as Pan stood up over her, and pulled her by the hair down onto the bed.

"You'll soon understand that I have been very lenient with you. But, my patience is wearing thin. We can do this the easy way, where you obey me and we can have fun in Neverland together, or the hard way, where I chain you up and make you scream until you forget your own name." He threatened maliciously.

Elle choked back a sob, seeing the full-fledged demon in front of her. He leaned even closer to her, pressing his lips up to her ear as he hissed, "Your choice, Elle. Either way, you're mine."

Elle whimpered, tears quickly running down her face. She tried to slow her breathing, but she was gulping in breaths so quickly, she became dizzy. She gazed at him, disturbed, and saw that his eyes were wild, but there was something in them that looked pained. Elle didn't understand what could possibly trouble him, he didn't seem to be bothered by using violence to get what he wanted. He certainly had no reason to care about hurting her. She was essentially a glorified plaything.

He agilely got off the bed, and quickly moved for the door, casting one quick over his shoulder to look at her, her small frame now curled in a heap of tulle on the bed crying. Had Elle looked up, she would have seen Pan's ashamed expression, tinted with a shadow of regret before he took off into the night.

Elle lifted her head up, and gently wiped her eyes. She squinted as she saw the sun flittering in through the window, and realized that she must have cried herself to sleep. She noticed her bones ached from the uncomfortable position she had slept in as she slowly sat up and stretched. Her heart sank as she remembered why she had fallen asleep like this in the first place.

'I've got to find a way out of here,' she thought miserably. She took a deep breath, and wandered over to the wardrobe Pan had created. She briefly wondered why Pan and the Lost Boys wore the clothes they did if Pan could just create clothing like he did for her. She quickly selected a plain white shirt, black leggings, and a moss-green hooded jacket. She grimaced as she saw that Pan had also made sure to select her an assortment of underwear, as well. She quickly grabbed a plain set of matching black underwear, and tried not to think about how Pan had managed to guess her sizes correctly. As she threw them on the bed, she made her way to the new bathroom, and felt a tear slip down her cheek as she saw the bathroom was an exact replica of her bathroom in Storybrooke, right down to her toothbrush sitting on the sink, and a candle on top of the storage cabinet. She ached for home, and whether Pan knew it, or not, this small sanctuary made the pain a little more bearable. She closed the door behind her, and quickly discarded the once beautiful gown, now wrinkled from sleep, and stepped into the shower.

She turned the water on, and let the warmth soothe her aching muscles. Only briefly did she wonder if someone was watching her, and she begrudgingly decided to make her shower a quick one. She washed herself, and stepped out, drying herself off quickly, and opened the bathroom door to get dressed. Once she was dressed, she quickly found a pair of boots, and pulled them on hurriedly. It wasn't until she was tying her hair up with a piece of twine she found on Pan's desk that she heard a timid knock at the entrance of the tree house. She turned, wondering if she should open the door, but she figured anyone she didn't want to see would have just barged in, which really meant it could only be one person.

"Come in," she called.

The door opened, and Elle saw Oliver carrying a tray of food. She smiled briefly, until she noticed he was limping.

"Oliver," she quickly crossed to him, taking the tray of food out of his small arms, and setting it down on the desk. She kneeled down to further examine him, and gasped when she saw the bruises that littered his arms.

"Oliver, what happened?" she asked hurriedly. The small boy wheezed as he opened his mouth to explain, but instead began coughing violently, and Elle felt fear well up inside of her when she saw flecks of blood dust the arm he was coughing into. Quickly, Elle scooped him up with some difficulty, and gently placed him on the bed. She felt her heart break as she watched this innocent little boy suffer so greatly.

"Oliver, " she tried. "Oliver, sweetie, what happened? Who did this to you?" She feared she already knew the answer.

Oliver's swallowed slowly, "Felix taught me a lesson. I'm not allowed to be your friend." Elle felt her insides quell with rage, and fear. This was completely her fault. Pan had warned her that Oliver would be hurt if she made a mistake, and it appeared she had.

"Oliver, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault," her voice trembled. "I promise, I'm going to get us out of here, kiddo." She said as she rubbed his arm in an attempt to soothe him. She felt her throat catch, as she tried to hold her tears back. She didn't want to upset him, she just knew she had to fix this.

She suddenly remembered that Pan had created an exact replica of her bathroom, and she quickly shot up and half ran over into the bathroom. She rushed to the cabinet and ripped open the drawers, her eyes frantically searching for the small basket of medicine she had always kept for emergencies. She quickly located it, and began to rummage through until she came across a bottle of antiseptic and some gauze. She grabbed them, and ran back into the other room to kneel by the bed.

As she began to tend to Oliver's wounds, she tried to formulate a plan in her head. How could she get both herself, and now little Oliver, out of Neverland? She tried to think of a way to send for help, and soon became lost in her thoughts when she heard Oliver quietly clear his throat.

Elle lifted her head expectantly as Oliver said, "Elle…I have a secret. I'm not supposed to tell you, but I think it's wrong if you don't know." His small hands were fidgeting in his lap, his face full of melancholy.

Elle cocked her head and said, "You can tell me, Oliver. I can keep a secret." She smiled gently to try to put him at ease.

Oliver shook his head and said, "You don't understand…the secret is about _you. _And they said you aren't allowed to know but it's _wrong _if you don't know."

Elle's curiosity was peaked, and she said, "Well, what is it?"

Oliver leaned forward, and motioned with his good arm for her to come closer. Elle leaned in and Oliver whispered, "Your family is here."

Elle gasped and her eyes widened. "They're here? Wait, who is they? Papa? Belle?"

Oliver quietly whispered, "There is a whole group here for you, but I don't know their names. But, I think your Papa is one of them. I think that's what Pan is so worried."

A million thoughts were racing through Elle's head; she didn't know it was possible to feel so many things at once. 'I've got to get a signal to them,' she realized.

Her head snapped to Oliver as a plan was already formulating in her head. She didn't have much, but she had to try _something. _This could be her only chance, and she wouldn't waste it.

"Oliver," she said. "I need you to help me. This could be both of our chances to leave here. Can you help me?" She asked frantically, she knew now they didn't have much time.

Oliver nodded and said, "I'll try not to mess anything up."

Elle kneeled down next to him and said, "Okay, Oliver. All I need you to do is go back down to camp, and pretend that nothing has happened. You didn't tell me the secret. You just came up here, and gave me my breakfast. If someone asks why you were up here so long, you tell them that I wouldn't let you leave, that I kept getting in your way because I didn't want to be left alone. Can you do that?"

He nodded and said, "Is that it?"

Elle smiled and said, "That's it. Continue with your day as you normally would. I will come find you when the time is right."

Oliver scooted off the bed, and began to make his way out of the tree house as Elle called, "And, Oliver?"

He turned.

"If I don't find you by sunset, you need to hide yourself somewhere safe. Okay?" Elle's voice trembled as she thought of the worst.

Oliver swallowed and he nervously nodded.

"Good luck, Elle." He waved sadly to her, and then he was gone.

Elle felt her heart pound in her chest, as she began to take in the new information. Her family was here. _That_ is why Pan was so angry. It all began to make sense. She paced around the tree house, trying to think of the best way to reach her family.

'He said I couldn't leave the tree house,' Elle thought. 'But, maybe I don't have to.'

Elle looked around the tree house, desperately hoping to find something useful. She ran over to Pan's desk, and gingerly touched it, hoping there wasn't any kind of spell over it. When her hand was firmly placed on the knob and she didn't feel any kind of pain, much to her surprise, she yanked open the drawer, and it flew open revealing several knickknacks and other random items.

She searched through them quickly until she saw just what she needed. Like it came out of her dreams-a flare.

"Damn," Elle groaned, frustrated as she realized she had nothing to light the flare. Without a light, the flare did nothing for her.

Suddenly, like a light went off in her head, she squealed and darted to the bathroom.

"Come on, come on, where are you?" She pleaded quietly, tearing through the cabinet once more. Then she saw it. The lighter she always used to light the candle in her bathroom. She flicked the switch with her finger, and a small flame erupted from the lighter. She then felt something, deep in her belly. At first, she couldn't put her finger on it, but as she gazed at the small flame, she knew what it was. Hope. She hadn't felt hope in what felt like a long time, but here it was, right in front of her in the form of a tiny flame.

She dashed out of the bathroom, and over to the desk, barely stopping to grab to flare, and she scurried over to the small window above the bed. She hopped up onto the bed, and quickly lit the flare. She felt her heart beat in her throat, holding her breath as she waited for the flare to go off. Her timing had to be just right, or it wouldn't work. She watched the flame work its way down to the base of the flare, and then suddenly, she threw the flare out of the window, and watched as it shot up into the sky, painting the calm, blue morning sky with streaks of red.

Elle couldn't help the triumphant smile that spread onto her face. If her family was here, there was no way they missed that. If she was lucky, she would be home in time for dinner at Granny's.


End file.
